Head Space Daily Words...

This morning I received through the letterbox, along with a note from a guy called Zack, to see if we needed our gutters clearing out, a bizarre flier from a clairvoyant, complete with graphic image of a stereotypical 'gypsy' looking woman, with mystic headwear and crystal ball. The headline reads "Psychic astrologer reunites Lovers." Surreal. Is she channeling the spirit of Barry White? Then underneath, was the absolute killer line - "Solves all problems." Wow, the answer to our prayers. We need worry no longer. I wonder if she sorts out war and famine as well. She then lets us know that she was "born gifted," so that's alright then, good job I wasn't "born gullible" and she goes on to reassure us that "other psychics come to me for advice, so why not you?" Brilliant, she is the psychics psychic, which must endow some kind of semi celebrity status upon her, in the supernatural world. Finally, to round off proceedings, under what appears to be a paragraph in Arabic, she entices us into this psychic contract of clairvoyance with a nonsensical pay off - "Satisfaction Guarantee in thirty days." WHAT?? Well she's pulled the wool over my eyes I'm booking myself in for some of this madness...

Head Space Daily Image...

On Clink Street are the remains of Winchester Palace, where the frame of the Great Hall's 14th Century rose window looks out onto the street. On the wall of the Wharf opposite is this image of the window made out of tiles. The things you see...

Head Space Daily Tune...

Coke Escovedo - I Wouldn't Change A Thing

One of my all time favourite tracks. A killer tune...

Head Space Daily Words...

Tonight I am an extremely proud man. For those of you who aren't football fans I won't dwell on this for too long - I can do that in my own time - but when you have passion for a team, have supported them all your life, and can completely lose yourself in the emotion of a game of football, to see that team win a game 6-1, whilst staring the pressure of relegation in the face, it is some achievement.

In other news, the Head Space Daily Tunes Spotify playlist went live today, with HSD Tunes - Jan '13 and HSD Tunes Feb - '13 going up. Links have been shared on Facebook and Twitter, with March and April to follow shortly. If you get the chance to listen, I hope you enjoy the music...

Head Space Daily Image...

Here is another photo from my walk down Dover Street in Mayfair the other day. This is a piece from an artist who goes by the name HiJack and is being shown in the Mead Carney Fine Art Gallery. The words relate to how we should all feel about life. It was certainly how I felt before tonight's Villa game...

Head Space Daily Tune...

Dinosaur Junior - Freak Scene

It is half an hour until Villa kick off against Sunderland and I need some tongue in cheek angst in my life, so here goes old time indie classic Freak Scene...

Head Space Daily Words...

The first time I ever heard the mention of the word Pilates, was on an episode of Frasier in the late 1990s. I didn’t know what it meant and brushed it off as one of Frasier’s vain attempts to fit into the celebrity circuit or to impress a lady that he stood no chance with. For whatever reason, the word always stuck with me, probably as a footnote to discover it’s meaning at some point in the future – a point that arrived in February 2010. I was out on the back garden playing football with my eldest son, who was taking shots at me. There I was, stood in typical goalie pose – knees bent, arse out, hands held out in front of me - ready to pounce like a nimble cat. Then it happened. My back ‘went’ completely. I was frozen by pain, unable to stand and had to waddle back into the house. My kids have never let me forget it, as I was due to take them to Selhurst Park to see Villa play Crystal Palace in the FA Cup the following day. Anyway, I couldn’t move properly for several days and had to take three days off work, during which time I saw an osteopath, who asked me if I had ever considered Pilates. The big round smiling face of Frasier Crane leapt instantly into my mind’s eye, leering down at me with his grown man look of little boy lost. Not knowing what it was, the only way to find out was to get stuck in. The reason I had back trouble was after years of sitting in front of a computer screen each day at work, with incredibly bad posture and what I was to discover – a lack of core strength. I persuaded a friend at work to come with me to a local Pilates class. There we were, two blokes stretching it out with ten ladies and my god it was bloody hard work. I had done no proper exercise since I was regularly clubbing on a Saturday night many years before and was incredibly unfit. My main aim was to never have to suffer the pain of a bad back again and I was soon attempting to master leg circles and downward dogs. My lack of strength was acute but after six months I could move up from one class a week to two and within a year, I felt in control of what I was doing. Joseph Pilates, the creator of the series of exercises that took his name, has a bit of a story himself. A German circus performer living in London, training police officers self defence, he was banged up as an “enemy alien” when World War One broke out. Whilst in prison, he began to devise and fine tune his techniques, trying them out on fellow inmates. It must have been the fittest prison on the planet!! Back in Germany years later, he escaped the Nazis, who wanted him to teach them his exercise regime and fled to New York, where his Pilates techniques began to catch on. One very Wild West part of his story is when some guy stole his methods and set up a rival establishment, to which Pilates went straight round with his gun and ran him out of town.  He sounds like what these days might be referred to as a dude. Back to my own Pilates experience, my twice-weekly sessions ended early in 2012, so I now take it upon myself to do my own routine at home each morning and night. It is something that I can’t live without as my body starts to seize up if I don’t have time to fit it in. The result of all this Pilates business is that my aim has been achieved and I have never since had any back trouble. Frasier Crane was well and truly ahead of his time…

Head Space Daily Image...

Pilates would be of no use to this young lady, as she is a sculpture made from solid wood, standing in the window of a gallery called Gazelli Art House on Dover Street in Mayfair...

Head Space Daily Tune...

Aleem - Get Loose

When the Head Space Daily post is all about Pilates, only one tune fits the bill - Get Loose by Aleem, an electro classic which was surely written about the effects of Joseph Pilates fitness regime...

Head Space Daily Words...

My brother and family were down from Nottingham today and we went on the London Eye. Seeing the city from up high, spread out down below is an impressive sight…

Head Space Daily Image...

The view you get from the London Eye cannot be faulted. A really worthwhile experience...

Head Space Daily Tune...

Buddy Rich - The Beat Goes On

As a link to the London Eye, this Blue Note awesomeness from Buddy Rich was covered by the All Seeing Eye on their tune Beat Goes On

Head Space Daily Words...

As a freelancer, my days at home, when I’m not working, are generally spent firing off carefully composed e mails to let clients know that I am available for work, or try and break through with new clients and put myself on their radar. It is a full time job in itself and when I’m not putting myself out there – if I let myself relax and dare I say it, enjoy myself – then guilt can take over, leaving me feeling like a lazy, worthless, good for nothing layabout. The best situation therefore, is when I can combine work and pleasure by getting out for a work related engagement and throwing some enjoyment into the bargain as well. I met a friend on Tuesday who is establishing a media empire in Hoxton, today I met with another friend who is in the process of getting a business off the ground. We met to discuss his plans and to see if we cold work together. We had coffee in Gail’s on Wardour Street, spending over an hour plotting how to take the world by storm and once we had gone our separate ways, I headed over to Berwick Street Market where I bought a fantastic chicken burrito. Whilst queuing for said Mexican style wrap, as I looked out between two market stalls, I became aware of a couple of men kneeling down in the road, behind the market stall awnings. On closer inspection, I realised there was a group of Muslim men praying towards the Raymond Revue Bar, in the direction of Mecca. They continued for a couple of minutes, then got to their feet, put their shoes back on and went their separate ways. I had never noticed the Islamic Centre on Berwick Street before. Next stop was Golden Square to eat my burrito. I remember writing about Golden Square several weeks ago, mentioning that the statue in the middle of the Square, was donated to the people of Golden Square, as no one would buy it in auction, because it was so ugly. I can confirm that it is fairly grotesque. If I had been a Golden Square resident at that time I would have been insulted to be offered that pot bellied, featureless monstrosity. I then walked from Golden Square, over Regent Street and a back route to Green Park underground station, which took me past a couple of art galleries. The Gazelli Art House had some amazing wooden life model sculptures in the window – I’ll post a photo in the next day or so – and the Mead Carney Gallery, also on Dover Street, featured work from artists called Hijack and Mr.Brainwash. The Hijack pieces were a little Banksy derivative but were very well done, had a good sense of humour and some interesting 3-D effects going on with its use of materials in certain pieces. Again, I’ll post a picture next week. So, all in all, a good day. A positive meeting,  exploring work possibilities, then watching life, people, taking in colour, sights, sounds and culture. Not once have I felt like a good for nothing layabout…

Head Space Daily Image...

Prayers are directed past the Raymond Revue Bar and on to Mecca this lunchtime on Berwick Street...

Head Space daily Tune...

Disclosure - White Noise feat Aluna George (Hudson Mohawke remix)

The final piece in my Record Store Day trilogy. Something very early 90s old school about this tune. Love it...

Head Space Daily Words...

There's nothing like a game of killer headers at the end of the day to relieve the stress...

Head Space Daily Image...

Roof tops. Chimney pots. Planes. Blue Sky. The view out of our sky light today...

Head Space Daily Tune...

Fela Kuti - Sorrow Tears and Blood

Another record store day purchase. An extended version of Sorrow Tears and Blood by Fela Kuti. Stick it on whilst you do the washing up, or get ready for a night out. It must be enjoyed in full. Afro Beat magnificence...

Head Space Daily Words...

So, Ive written about the first record I bought (HSD 23/03/13) and the first gig I saw (HSD 24/03/13,) now for my musical epiphany. I spent my GCSE year - 1988/89 - recovering from an altercation with a Peugeot 205. Around easter, a friend gave me a tape, on which he had recorded on one side The Stone Roses and on the other side Bummed by Happy Mondays. Looking back (wedding ring excepted, of course,) that is possibly the single most important item I have ever received. The first time I listened to that TDK 90 was on a Sony Walkman, as I was doing a paper round, delivering the local tittle tattle. The intro to I Wanna Be Adored grabbed me instantly with it's unnerving sonic textures before the bass hits. Sucked in. Hypnotised. In awe. And that's before the rest of the album had revealed itself to me. That's the power of music. It was a life changer. An attitude giver. An eye opener. Just the positive charge I needed in my life at that moment. The Made Of Stone t-shirt was bought, the fringe grown, 34" flares acquired from the Oasis Centre off Corporation Street in Birmingham and a youth culture bought into. For a few months at least there seemed to be a relatively small group of people into the Roses and the Manchester bands that were breaking at that point in time. Every Friday was a pilgrimage to the Black Horse on the Aston Univesity campus, with the occasional Saturday soiree to the Hummingbird. Towards the end of 1989, I became aware of dance music and then the Roses' Fool's Gold sealed it - a nigh on ten minute epic of funky drumming, meandering bass lines, psychedelic guitar riffs and a cool as vocal. An utterly joyous expression of musical brilliance. Even today, I can't sit still when I listen to it. That one track has led to a whole spaghetti junction of interchanging musical reference, which to this very day continues its twists, turns, crossroads, junctions and occasional dead ends. It's not a big love in for the Stone Roses though. It is not a perfect album - Don't Stop and Elizabeth My Dear are not great tracks, and when they lost the plot and didn't come out with a follow up LP until 1994, I never forgave them. It wasn't the same - the buzz had gone. If I saw them at Finsbury Park this summer, I know I would love it but there is still a part of me that would feel let down and that I am really watching a karaoke band who have made two albums in twenty three years. Ian Brown would probably wave two fingers at me and tell me to stick it where the sun don't shine, to which I would return the gesture, because that's the attitude that he and the Roses gave me. Go your own way, do your own thing, run your own course. In fact there are plenty of surly men and a good few surly women up and down the country who are around 40+ with a never back down attitude, due to Ian Brown and The Stone Roses and I salute you all...

Head Space Daily Image...

If you want an image to represent a post about the Stone Roses, it has to be a lemon...

Head Space Daily Tune...

The Stone Roses - Fool's Gold

This record was a life changer for me. It's magnitude cannot be underplayed...

Head Space Daily Words...

Head Space Daily bypassed Monday, largely due to the realisation that the work just isn't flowing this year and something needs to be done about it. After dismissing the thought of becoming a milkman, time was spent drafting choice e mails, to choice people, at some splendid companies. Over the next couple of days, visits will be paid to establishments, with hopefully connections being made and reinforced. Today itself was spent seeing an old friend - a man with a plan - who is going it alone with his own company and will soon be making waves. Inspiring stuff. In other news a woman was heard complaining that the sun was too bright. Lady, it's a giant ball of burning gas in the centre of the universe, it doesn't come with a dimmer switch. Some people are never satisfied. Also, Bob from over the road was out taking one of his motorbikes for a spin...

Head Space Daily Image...

A touch dull I know, but it's the only photo of any note that I've taken today. Before your very eyes stands our front door, freshly sanded with my own fair hand...

Head Space Daily Tune...

Marva Whitney/James Brown - You Got To Have A Job

James and Marva reiterate why it is important for me to get a job. If you don't work, you can't eat. Tell it Mr Brown...

Head Space Daily Words...

I have nothing but respect for the people who run the London Marathon. It is an incredible achievement, which must feel so satisfying once you have completed the course. Running twenty six miles, three hundred and eighty five yards is not something that I can personally contemplate attempting. What gives a person the will power and drive to put themselves through it? What spurs them on? It must surely be something beyond the need to run. Is this where the fund raising aspect comes in? There are those incredibly moving stories of runners having lost loved ones and they are raising money for a related charity. Do these ordinary people who are pushing themselves out of their comfort zone and beyond their normal capabilities get their inner resolve through the fact that they are running for someone else? As you are approaching twenty miles and you are spent, I imagine the thought of why you are doing this to yourself in the first place drives and inspires you and pushes you over the finishing line. Whatever the reason, congratulations to everyone who completed the London Marathon today...

Head Space Daily Image...

Whilst standing in the queue yesterday, alongside the building where Rough Trade East is housed, I looked up and there, on top of what looks like some kind of corrugated steel corridor, suspended between two buildings, slap bang in the middle, was a tree growing right out of it. It looked quite surreal, this lonely little tree. The whole thing was framed by a crane which was way above the buildings. The things we miss above our heads...

Head Space Daily Tune...

Kurt Vile - Wakin' On A Pretty Day

I listened to the new Kurt Vile album whist I was waiting in line to get into Rough Trade East on Record Store Day. The album is made for lazy days filled with sunshine, as his laid back drawl washes over you...

Head Space Daily Words...

Today was Record Store Day and I was on a mission. To get up, get out, make it to Rough Trade East and like a vinyl buying Ninja, select my wares and be back for 11am to collect my youngest son from football club. Simple right? Caitlin Moran tweeted that she and her friends refer to Record Store Day as April Fools Day, referring in particular to her husband getting up at 5am to make it to a record shop to buy some limited edition vinyl. Well, she obviously doesn't appreciate the planning, stealth and timing that goes into this operation. By 8.45 I was on the East London Line to Shoreditch, already mulling over what my back up selections would be if my first choices weren't available. The key though is to remain calm, or else panic buying can set in and we don't want to be coming away with Coldplay or Napalm Death. I had three records in mind and that was to be my focus. I got off the train at Shoreditch High Street, walked to Brick Lane and on to Rough Trade East. Outside the shop there was a queue. OK, no problem, I can deal with that. I walked past said queue and turned the corner to be greeted by a line of people that stretched to the bottom of the next street. I was about to stand in the longest queue I had ever bothered to wait in, in my entire life. One hour and twenty minutes later and after telling some trendy young queue jumpers that if they were going to push in, they had better do it behind me, I finally made it into the shop. I got hold of the three choice cuts that I had hoped to buy (see Head Space Daily Tune,) saw Frank Turner play a couple of songs - I'm not a fan but it's always good to hear live music - grabbed myself a coffee and mooched, fending off the urge to buy more records - if only I hadn't been strong and put down that limited edition Rolling Stones seven inch. No, what's done is done. Did I make it back in time to pick up my youngest son from football club I hear you ask? In a word, no. Hopefully the bagels I brought back with me from the Brick Lane Beigel Bakery went some way to making up for it, as my wife and eldest boy had been planning on going out and doing their own thing. Was my twenty minutes inside this shrine to vinyl worth the wait? I think so - just. Next year I will arrive earlier...

Head Space Daily Image...

After an hour and twenty minutes of waiting in line, this was the view that greeted me outside of Rough Trade East this morning...

Head Space Daily Tune...

Dinosaur L - Go Bang

This is the business. One of my purchases from Record Store Day. A fantastic pre electro disco tune produced by Arthur Russell and mixed by Francois Kevorkian...

Head Space Daily Words...

There is something revitalizing about having a hair cut. Psychologically, it puts a spring in your step and the world, for some reason, feels a more positive place. Why does this happen? It is that one moment, every six to eight weeks when it is all about you. Hairdressing salons by their very nature - low lighting, music, hair washed, the rhythmic snip snip of the scissors - are good places to think and unburden your mind. Hairdressers themselves are generally good talkers and good listeners. You can have a laugh, a moan, a gossip, a natter and generally put the world to rights. Or, alternatively – say nothing. I was chatting to my hairdresser today about how she sees her role with clients and she pointed out that as well as knowing the ins and outs of cutting hair, you also need strong social skills and the ability to deal with different people and their various moods and emotional baggage. She believes it is how you deal with the social side that makes or breaks hairdressers in the early stages of their careers. She thinks that because the hairdresser is a person they don’t know on a personal level, coupled with the relaxed mood, clients feel free to let it all out. In the past she has had people discussing affairs and asking for advice on what to do. The rule though is discretion and what is said in the shop, stays in the shop. A haircut it seems is a psychological pit stop, like a creature shedding its skin – some form of renewal and rejuvenation. Do bald men find a replacement for this psychological pitstop? Historically, a trip to the hairdressers, being a social necessity, brings with it a certain code of behaviour. I always think it is interesting that barbers would ask customers if they wanted ‘something for the weekend sir,’ as it was taboo to buy condoms – yet more social working. Maybe it goes back to when we were young and self conscious and that fresh hair cut, or number two all over, is what gave us the confidence to take on the world, or speak to that girl or boy that we fancied. These days, having a haircut allows us a pause for a cause. We momentarily stop dashing around like nutters. We aren’t glued to a screen. In my case, the mobile is firmly in the pocket, on silent. We can actually breathe. Right, I have made my psychological pit stop and am now ready to take on the world…